COUNTY council leaders have decided to go ahead with a full consultation on the closure of Walton Street after a majority of people backed the move.
The road linking Worcester Street and the city centre with Jericho was shut initially for resurfacing.
But when highways managers saw the potential advantages of not having traffic using the route - including improved traffic flow in Beaumont Street - they decided to keep the road shut.
A ‘pre-consultation’ on whether there should be a full consultation on the proposal to close Walton Street forever finished on Friday.
The majority of residents said they were in favour of the road closure being trialled and the council has now decided to embark on an ‘experimental’ 18-month closure.
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County council spokesman Martin Crabtree said: “Following a targeted informal local consultation to check there is no significant reason not to trial a closure of Walton Street, we have decided to proceed with the Experimental Order.
“We received more than 490 individual responses with more than 60 per cent in favour of retaining the current closure of Walton Street.
“We have not received any comments that we feel prevents commencement of such a trial and the start of a formal consultation.
“The formal consultation will run for six months during which time If problems are identified then we could abandon or alter the restriction in place.”
Mr Crabtree said any decision to make the closure permanent would be taken by cabinet member for transport Yvonne Constance at a public meeting.
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He added: “The maximum duration the trail will be in place for is 18 months.
“We would like to hear people’s views on the impact and if we should consider making the closure permanent.”
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Labour city and county councillor for Jericho and Osney Susanna Pressel said: “I’m pleased that the County Council is now going to carry out a formal consultation on whether to keep Walton Street closed for the full 18 months currently allowed.
"While it is closed the effects will be carefully monitored and people’s views will be considered.
"Next summer a decision will be taken as to whether to make the closure continue for the foreseeable future. Once the consultation opens, I hope people will write in with their opinions either through the County website or through their county councillors.
"Meanwhile many of us have noticed that traffic is flowing much more smoothly along Beaumont Street.
"This is the case even now that the much-needed pedestrian lights have been restored outside Worcester College.
"As a result the air is noticeably cleaner, which, of course, is one of the main aims of the experiment.”
Resident David Shepherd has launched a change.org petition to reopen Walton Street and it now has 55 signatures.
The petition says: “All of the traffic which went up and down Walton Street is being forced to use smaller, residential side roads in order to get in and out of Jericho.
“I am sure the residents of Observatory Street and St Bernard’s Street are not happy with the increased traffic on their streets.
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“You have not made the area quieter but simply shifted the traffic onto other routes in Jericho.”
The council’s ‘pre-consultation’ document for the Walton Street Experimental Low Traffic Neighbourhood Area said if a decision was made to proceed with the trial the experimental traffic order could come into force on November 1 and be in place for up to 18 months.
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